In Memoriam

Jack Norwood Boyd, Jr., 61, of Texarkana, Texas, died December 9, 2019, at the age of 61. Jack graduated from the University of Houston in 1981 and the University of Houston College of Law in 1985, cum laude. Jack passed the Texas Bar exam and began a distinguished legal career in 1985 in Texarkana,TX.

George D. “Bucky” Ellis of Benton died November 24, 2019, at the age of 73. Bucky was a long-time attorney practicing in Saline County, a member of the Arkansas Bar Association, and a Fellow of the Arkansas Bar Foundation. Bucky had three appointments as Special Justice to the Arkansas Supreme Court. He was a delegate to the Arkansas Constitutional Convention in 1968.

Judge Tom Garner of Ash Flat died November 3, 2019, at the age of 60. Garner spent more than 30 years practicing as an attorney and also served as a prosecuting attorney for 16 years prior to closing down his practice when he was appointed to the position of Third Judicial Circuit Judge in February 2019.

Paul Leo Giuffre died January 2, 2020, at the age of 86. He graduated from College of the Holy Cross in 1954 and received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1955. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1955-57. He received a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Arkansas Law School in 1961. He practiced law in Fort Smith, first at Daily and Woods and then as a senior partner at Warner and Smith, before starting a solo practice.

Judge William (Bill) Ralph Hass of Springfield, Missouri, died December 30, 2019, at the age of 83. Bill graduated from the University of Arkansas School of Law Fayetteville in 1962. After having served two years in the U.S. Army at Fort Hood, Texas, Bill began his legal career in 1964 in private practice with the Niblock Law Firm in Fayetteville. In 1990 Bill was elected the Associate Circuit Judge for Oregon County, Missouri, and served in that position until 2003. He served as a part-time senior judge for the state of Missouri from 2003 until 2017.

Thomas S. Streetman of Crossett died December 1, 2019. He was a founding member of Streetman & Gibson PLLC, and a member of the Arkansas Bar Association, the Arkansas Bar Foundation, and the Debtor-Creditor Bar Association of Central Arkansas. He served as Crossett City Attorney from 1967 until 1998. He proudly served in the U.S. Air Force as a JAG officer from 1961 until 1964, where he earned the rank of Captain. Tom attended the University of Arkansas where he received a BA in 1959, and a JD from the University of Arkansas Law School. He was associate Editor of the Arkansas Law Review.

Anne Shelton Parker of Little Rock died November 22, 2019, at the age of 76. In 1965, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Arkansas State University. In 1968, Anne received a Master of Arts in English from the University of Kentucky. After moving to Little Rock in 1976, Anne joined the second-ever class of students at UALR’s School of Law and graduated first in her class in 1979. Following law school, she was a clerk for Judge Richard S. Arnold. Upon completion of her clerkships in 1981, Anne became an associate attorney at the Mitchell Law Firm and was one of the first three women to become partners in the firm.

Nicholas H. Patton of Texarkana, Texas, died November 2, 2019, at the age of 80. He graduated from the University of Arkansas, both undergraduate and law school. Nick received many honors during his long career, among them serving as President of the Texarkana Bar Association, being named Outstanding Trial Lawyer of 1994 by the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association, and becoming a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Trial Lawyers.

John W. Walker, Sr., of Little Rock died October 28, 2019, at the age of 82. Walker graduated from Arkansas AM&N in 1958; received a master’s degree from New York University in 1961; and in 1964 received a law degree from Yale University. Walker’s first work was as an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in New York. He remained associated as a cooperating attorney and later as a member of the Board of LDF. Walker began the general practice of law in Little Rock with an emphasis on civil rights. In 1968, he opened one of the first three racially integrated law firms in the south, first known as Walker and Chachkin. Walker was a Democratic member of the Arkansas House of Representatives representing District 34. The Arkansas Bar Foundation and Arkansas Bar Association honored him with the Outstanding Lawyer Award in recognition of excellence in the practice of law and outstanding contributions to the profession.

The information contained herein is provided by the members’ obituaries.